Pharmacy courses a big hit with students 

R. Sujatha 
 
CHENNAI, May 28, 2018 00:00 IST   the hindu

More students are showing interest in taking up pharmacy courses. This academic year, 392 new institutions across the country will offer diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate courses in pharmacy.

Educators have welcomed the trend, saying graduates get placed in the country and many go abroad for higher education. An attraction to students is the Pharm D course — the Doctor of Pharmacy, which, private institutions say, is well received by students.

On a par with U.S., Europe

A few years ago the Pharmacy Council of India approved of Pharm D. The six-year degree course includes one-year of internship. T. Ilango, Registrar of the Tamil Nadu Pharmacy Council, said the course had been approved by the Pharmacy Council of India and is on a par with those offered by the U.S. and Europe.

Dean of SRM College of Pharmacy K.S. Lakshmi said the Pharm D course is a PG programme that orients students to the clinical setting unlike the four-year B Pharm or M Pharm, after which students go into the pharmaceutical industry or get involved in quality control or get absorbed in the drug manufacturing industry.

“It helps, especially when we increasingly have patients coming with two or three diseases and their drug dosage must be carefully monitored,” she said.

At Sri Ramachandra University, all the 150 who graduated since 2013 have been placed, said D. Chamundeeswari, Principal of the University’s Pharmacy College.

The huge burden of lifestyle-induced diseases call for qualified patient educators to train patients in taking the right dose of medicine or administering insulin, she said.

Though private institutions are enthusiastic about the new course, no government college in the State has launched it. “It is only when the graduates’ capability is established will the government take it up. With advancement in gene-based therapy, there must be a professional who can understand, knows the drug and disease and the intricacies of treatment. We have a model in other countries. In India, with we need these professionals,” said T.K. Ravi, Principal of Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Paramedical Sciences, which runs the course.

Now ex-MLAs can stay at govt. hostel 

Special Correspondent 
 
CHENNAI, May 28, 2018 00:00 IST


Grand look:The newly-constructed hostel for former MLAs at the Omandurar Government Estate.B. Jothi Ramalingam
10-storeyed building has 60 rooms, dining area and an auditorium

The next time a former legislator is in the State capital, he/she can stay close to the sitting legislators’ hostel by hiring a pad at the newly constructed 10-storey facility at the Omandurar Government Estate here. The lodging facility for former MLAs was inaugurated by Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal here on Sunday.

The hostel with a reception, dining area, 60 rooms, eight rooms for guests from other States and a 250-seat auditorium, is spread over 76,721 sq. ft. and is situated just adjacent to the MLAs’ Hostel on the campus with entry from Swami Sivananda Salai.

Constructed at a cost of Rs. 39.63 crore, the hostel has ample parking space. The hostel is available for former MLAs for limited days in a month at a nominal fare, officials said.

On the occasion, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami also inaugurated a facility for the general public to know the proceedings of the Assembly online.

Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam inaugurated another facility that enables the former MLAs to reserve rooms online. Senior Ministers, Deputy Speaker Pollachi V. Jayaraman, Chief Government Whip S. Rajendran, MPs, MLAs and former legislators were present. Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan, Assembly Secretary K. Srinivasan and senior officials were also present.

MCI red flags 3 state colleges
'13 institutes don't fulfil criteria in country' 

Our Correspondent May 26, 2018 00:00 IST



 

HEALTH BULLETIN: Minister of state for health and family welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey addresses a news conference in Ranchi on Friday. Picture by Manob Chowdhary

Ranchi: Union minister of state for health Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who was in Jharkhand in view of the Prime Minister's visit, said on Friday that Medical Council of India (MCI) was holding up recognition of as many as 13 new medical colleges, of which three were in Jharkhand, but hoped chief minister Raghubar Das would raise the matter with Narendra Modi.

"Owing to oath of secrecy I am not supposed to speak at length on this issue. I can only say that MCI has submitted a report to the Union health ministry about 13 medical colleges that do not fulfil criteria to start courses," Choubey said, but admitted that sometimes MCI acted in haste, even though it was a statutory body set up to ensure uniform and high standards of medical education.

Choubey did not name the proposed medical colleges in Jharkhand. But it was clear he was referring to the newly opened colleges in Palamau, Dumka and Hazaribagh where the state government was keen to begin MBBS courses from the next academic session.

"We are taking legal opinion on the MCI report. But I have suggested to the MCI that colleges with 70 per cent basic infrastructure in place could be granted recognition so that classes can begin," he said.

 Choubey said on Thursday evening he discussed the issue of medical colleges with state health minister Ramchandra Chandrvanshi and chief minister Raghubar Das at length. "I believe the issue of recognition will be sorted out. Possibly, the chief minister will raise this matter with the Prime Minister," he said.

The state government had approved the establishment of medical colleges in three districts last year and had approved funds worth Rs 485 crore for Dumka, Rs 509 crore for Hazaribagh and Rs 471 crore for Palamau.

Choubey also appreciated the Jharkhand government's efforts to improve the state's health indicators.

"Health services in Jharkhand will improve further after the construction of AIIMS in Deoghar, among the projects the Prime Minister initiated on Friday. An Rs 441crore airport will also come-up in Deoghar. AIIMS in Deoghar will benefit the people of Bihar and Bengal also," he said.

Choubey said 250 public medicine centres would be opened in Jharkhand for people to get generic medicines at concessional rates.

"It has been seen that doctors don't prefer generic medicines. The government has appealed them to prescribe generic medicines. Medicine companies have also been asked to fix a reasonable rate of medicines or else they will be dealt with according to law," he said.

Ireland quietly comes to terms with dramatic change after abortion vote

Dublin: TOI  28.05.2018

Irish people paid homage on Sunday to an Indian immigrant woman whose death inspired a historic vote to repeal Ireland’s strict abortion laws while the Catholic Church rued the outcome saying it showed indifference to its teachings. In a referendum on Friday, the once deeply Catholic nation voted to scrap a prohibition on abortion by a margin of two-to-one.

The vote overturns a law which, for decades, has forced over 3,000 women to travel to Britain each year for terminations that they could not legally have in their own country. “Yes” campaigners had argued that with pills now being bought illegally online abortion was already a reality in Ireland.

Hundreds of people on Sunday continued to leave flowers and candles at a mural in Dublin of Savita Halappanaar, the 31-year-old Indian whose death in 2012 from a septic miscarriage after being refused a termination spurred lawmakers into action.

Katy Gaffney, a 24-year-old baker who travelled to Dublin from Berlin to vote, stood silently in front of the memorial crying. “I am relieved but devastated that it had to come to this,” she said. Otherspinned messages to the wall. One read: “I’m so sorry this happened to you before the country woke up. My vote was for you.” Another: “I’m sorry we let you down. It won’t be in vain.” The campaign was defined by women publicly sharing their experiences of going abroad for procedures, a key reason why all but one of Ireland’s 40 constituencies voted “Yes”.

The government of PM Leo Varadkar, who campaigned to repeal the laws, will begin drafting legislation in the coming week to allow abortions with no restriction up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy by the end of the year. Many lawmakers who campaigned for a “No” vote said they would not try to block the bill.

The outcome was a new milestone for the country of 4.8 million. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that “Ireland has once again made history.” He called the vote an essential symbol for women’s freedom.

In Britain, Prime Minister Theresa May faces a showdown with ministers and lawmakers in her Conservative party after refusing to back reform of highly restrictive abortion laws in the British province of Northern Ireland which has a 500km border with Ireland. In Ireland though, the once all-powerful Catholic Church, which has seen its public influence collapse since the 1980s after a string of child sex abuse scandals, took a back seat throughout the referendum campaign.

In churches across the country on Sunday there was only regret at the outcome.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin told parishioners that the church had to “renew its commitment to support life.” REUTERS

Messages are left at a memorial in Dublin to Savita Halappanavar, the 31-year-old Indian dentist whose death in 2012 from a septic miscarriage after being refused a termination spurred lawmakers into action

BOOSTS CHANCES

Is fish the food of love and babies?

Nicholas Bakalar 28.05.2018 TOI

Trying to have a baby? Eating fish might help.

Researchers interviewed 501 couples who were trying to get pregnant without medical assistance. All kept diaries on their diet and other health and behavioural habits, including fish consumption and frequency of sexual intercourse. They followed the pairs for a year or until pregnancy.

They found that men who had two or more four-ounce servings of fish a week had a 47% shorter time to pregnancy, and women a 60% shorter time, than those who ate one or fewer servings a week.

Partners who ate fish also had sexual intercourse, on average, 22% more frequently, but the association of eating fish with pregnancy persisted even after controlling for frequency of lovemaking.

By 12 months, 92% of couples who ate fish twice a week or more were pregnant, compared with 79% among those who ate less.

The study, in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, controlled for age, education level, smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity and other factors. The mechanism remains unclear.

“Seafood may help in semen quality, ovulation and other markers,” said the lead author, Audrey J Gaskins, a research associate at Harvard. “Or maybe these couples are the ones spending more time together. But if it’s fish that’s bringing them together, that’s still causal, although through a behavioural pathway, not a biological one.

“Women have been scared off fish because of the concerns about mercury, but there are low levels of contaminants in the seafood we commonly eat — canned tuna, salmon, shrimp and other shellfish.” NYT NEWS SERVICE

Porter no. 15: Life of 1st woman coolie at Jaipur rly station

Jaipur: times of india 28.05.2018

Manju Devi stands tall in her fraternity, being the first woman porter of the North-West Railways, in a profession that is considered a male bastion. She has been the sole breadwinner for her three teenage children. She lost her husband 10 years ago.

After overcoming family disputes and psychological hurdles and encouraged by her mother Mohini, Devi acquired her deceased husband Mahadev’s porter licence no. 15 and took to the demanding task of hauling luggage of passengers at the Jaipur Railway Station.

Authorities initially told her there were no women porters and hence it would be difficult for her. But she persisted and eventually given the badge number, she had said.

It took her a while to get a grasp of the realities of her job and the challenge included designing her own uniform. Now, clad in a red kurta and black salwar, she sets out every day to work in multiple shifts, to make ends meet for her family.

Devi was among 112 women who were felicitated by the ministry of women and child development, besides former beauty queens — Aishwarya Rai and Nicole Faria — mountaineer Bachendri Pal, Anshu Jamsenpa, missile woman Tessy Thomas and private detective Rajani Pandit.

She was among a gathering of 90 women achievers from different backgrounds at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 20, this year and President Ram Nath Kovind had said that he got “emotional” on hearing her story.

“I weighed 30 kg and the passengers’ luggage was also 30 kg but it was nowhere to the burden of feeding three children,” Devi narrates in jest. PTI 


BREAKING THE BARRIERS: Manju Devi looks on as she shares a relaxed moment with her male colleagues, in Jaipur, on Sunday

Our daughter’s soul is now consoled: Savitha’s parents

Belagavi: 28.05.2018  times of india

“Our daughter’s soulis nowconsoled,”the parents of a woman who died of complications in 2012 after being denied abortion by doctorsin Irelandsaidon Sunday, a day after the country voted to repeal its stringent abortion laws in a landmark referendum.

“It is a landslide opinion in favour of repeal of the abortion laws that has supported our cause,” Savita’s father Andanappa Yalagi said.

One of the key cases influencing the debate on abortion in Ireland was that of dentist Savita Praveen Halappanavar, who died of sepsis in the Galway University hospital after being denied an abortion during a protracted miscarriage in 2012.

The 31-year-old woman’s deathhadtriggered a massive debate in that country over the issue of life-saving abortions.

Hailing the result of the referendum, Akkamahadevi, Savita’s mother said, “It is also a win for Kitty Holland who took up the mission and created awareness among the Irish people on the unnatural law.”

Kitty Holland is a journalist with the Irish times, who broke the story of Savitha’s death. PTI